We’ve always taken a certain childlike joy in seeing tiny things made big, and big things tiny. Evidently [Uncle Stem] is the same way, if this 7x sized 16×2 “LCD” display is any indicator.
“LCD” is in scare quotes there, because while the original display is a character LCD, [Uncle Stem]’s embigginated recreation is not. Liquid crystal displays are beyond all but the most dedicated DIYers, so [Stem] recreated the whole thing with addressable LEDs instead — over a thousand of them. Each character got its own PCB, and rather than pay for assembly [Stem] used a 3D printed stencil to help apply solder paste, an idea we’ve seen before. His choice of long lengths of nickel strip — the stuff you spot weld to Li-ion batteries — to join the LED-holding PCBs is also worth noting.
In order to get his giant display to act like the I2C-operated module he loves, [Uncle Stem] equipped it with an RP2040 pre-programmed with the LCD character set. That way he can plug it into any Arduino project that uses the LiquidCrystal_I2C library and have the authentic 1602 experience. The green “PCB” the display is mounted to is actually laser-cut plywood, while some acrylic sits in front of his PCBs with office paper to act as as a diffuser. A 3D printed frame completes the illusion. He even goes so far as to replicate the pin headers at 7:1 scaling with brass rods.
He also connects it to a over-sized Arduino, with giant jumper wires. But for the record, not the giant Arduino we featured previously. Like we said, hackers like to mess with scale, and we’ve seen everything from giant benchies to a working Mac Classic for Barbie.
It’s the oversize Dupont jumpers that made me so happy. I’m crying with laughter, just at those.
See, that photo is messing with my head, because I can’t help but see it as an Arduino sitting next to the world’s tiniest keyboard and mouse FOR ANTS.
Any computer built to insect-scale will have bugs.
(sorry)
But yes, the photo messed with my head too. I can’t not see it as a photo-collage, rather than a single image!
Awesome!… but v-neck t shirt? jk
A lot less “I’m Stupid” than the baseball cap worn backwards, indoors, by so many twits on youtube.
Typo: nickle
Should be nickel, like the element and coin
So it should. Fixed.
Perhaps World’s Biggest Typo can be a roadside attraction with World’s Biggest 16×2 Character LCD and all the other giant things that litter the interstate highway system.
I’m really impressed by how much it looks like the real thing, at least on camera. The colors and brightness seem pretty much spot on. The whole thing shows impressive dedication to the bit!
Nice learning project. Though big LED displays are nothing new in public transport.
Literally what I was just thinking about after reading the article. I suppose it’s unlikely that there’s a 16×2 character display in use on public transport routes, but it does look so much like a bus stop schedule sign.
I especially like the 3D-printed solder stencil and the separator and diffuser that make the pixels square. Great job.